The WA Pipe Bands community honoured the passing of Life Member June Corcoran with uniformed members of all Western Australian bands forming a guard of honour at Fremantle Cemetery while her beloved City of Cockburn Pipe Band led the funeral procession.
June Corcoran (née Yeing) was born in Fremantle on 18 September 1938 and apart from a brief period during the war years, she resided in the Fremantle region through her lifetime. June was a gifted dancer in a variety of forms including highland, Irish, jazz, tap and ballet. Throughout a long career, June was the undefeated State Champion in Irish dancing.
In the early 1950s the “Fremantle Caledonian Society Pipe Band” offered tuition to young prospective pipers and drummers. There was an excellent response and as a result the “Fremantle Caledonian Junior Pipe Band” was formed in 1953. June was a foundation member, initially as a snare drummer, but later taking lessons and becoming competent on bass and tenor drums and bagpipes.
She would travel regularly by bus to the home of her piping tutor Robert Sinclair, Pipe Major of the senior “Fremantle Pipe Band” which would later become the “City of Fremantle Pipe Band”.
Even in these early days, as a teenager, June was a mentor to pupils her junior, happy to pass on her recently acquired competencies.
In the later 1950s the “Fremantle Caledonian Junior Pipe Band” members were reaching advanced teenage years and the band dissolved. Many of the members, including June, became playing members of the “City of Fremantle Pipe Band”.
As well as her proficiency on pipes and drums, June trained, practiced and performed as Drum Major as required. As a tribute to her competency, she was selected as one of the Drum Majors to lead the massed Pipes and Drums in performances at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth.
In 1964 when the “Perth Ladies Pipe Band” was invited to perform at special events in Kalgoorlie, 600 kilometres east of Perth, their regular Drum Major was not available and June carried out the role with distinction. This was a typical example of June’s willingness to over almost seven decades assist any pipe band in need.
June continued with the “Fremantle Pipe Band” through the 1960s and near the end of that decade was approached by the WA Irish Club regarding the possibility of forming an Irish band. June accepted the challenge and by 1969 the “WA Irish Pipe Band” was established with June as the Founder and its first Pipe Major.
In addition to June’s pipe band career as a player, she was a marvellous ambassador and tutor and to this day there are scores of pipers and drummers taught and/or influenced by June.
In the 1970s she was a Music Instructor at “Melville Senior High School” and at “Christian Brothers College” in Fremantle. She later also taught at “Mercedes College” in Perth, “Iona Presentation Convent” in Mosman Park and more recently assisted with establishment of a pipe band at “Willetton Senior High School”. Whilst many pipers and drummers received their tuition through June at these schools, it was to be her involvement at two of Perth’s largest private schools that hundreds of students learnt piping and drumming, whether directly from June, or under her guidance.
A pipe band was established at Trinity College in the 1960s but had lapsed somewhat until 1978. The then headmaster, Brother Kelly, resolved to revive the band and turned to June Corcoran who was appointed Pipe Band Tutor (later Instructor). June was to continue in this role for over twenty years during which “Trinity College Pipe Band” competed successfully and performed regularly at school and public events.
Reverting to June’s pipe band playing career, she continued, mostly piping, with “WA Irish Pipe Band” until 1994 when the band obtained sponsorship and changed its name to the “City of Armadale Pipe Band”.
At that time June and several others from the “WA Irish Pipe Band” formed the “Celtic Pipes and Drums”. This band attracted other players, including several who were taught by June in their college days.
In 1996 June facilitated sponsorship negotiations with the City of Cockburn which resulted in the formation of the “City of Cockburn Pipe Band”. June is appropriately recognised as the Founder of the band which has gone from strength to strength over the past 20 years under her guidance. June was Pipe Major for 18 years and served as Secretary and/or President as required. The band encouraged juniors and others from all age groups, provided tuition and steadily built it into one of the State’s well-respected bands.
Through the 2000s, June was a Drumming Instructor at Scotch College, again passing on skills and passion for the pipe band activities. This college has consistently had more than 20 participants in the drum corps. The fact that June was appointed by Pipe Major, Norm de Grussa OAM, the College Bandmaster, who had a wealth of experience in Army and civilian pipe bands, is a tribute to the respect in which June’s mentoring skills were held.
Under June’s motivation, the “City of Cockburn Pipe Band” has travelled to Scotland four times to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships. The band also travelled to the USA to participate in the New York and Newark St Patrick’s Day Parades and played with the Long Island Pipe Band.
As well as being a playing member of bands as outlined, June gained a reputation as a prolific fundraiser and tireless worker to assist bands achieve their objectives. From holding sausage sizzles to hand knitting socks for the bands, June generated enthusiasm by example to others.
In all these 65 plus years, June was a constant band representative at the WA Pipe Band Association (now called Pipe Bands WA) meetings.
Her passion and interest was never parochial, but rather was focussed on the broad pipe band community. As a result of her outstanding contribution, she was bestowed with Life Membership of Pipe Bands WA.
This summary of June Corcoran’s career in pipe bands is certainly not all inclusive. For example, even whilst heavily involved in the ‘City of Cockburn Pipe Band” and tutoring at schools, June would willingly assist others upon request or by volunteering when noting there was a need. “Rockingham Pipe Band” engaged June as a drumming instructor in its formative years. The “Northside Highlanders”, practising weekly some 50 kilometres from June’s home, received her assistance on a regular basis.June’s generosity and abilities were recognised throughout the State and many country bands over the years benefitted from her willingness to share her knowledge.
Sadly June, surrounded by her family, passed away at her home south of Fremantle on 11 September 2019. The memorial service at Fremantle Cemetery on 23 September was attended by over 200 people. Approximately 70 members of Western Australia’s pipe bands, in band uniforms, were there to form a guard of honour. The City of Cockburn Pipe Band , with every available member on parade , led the cortege from the main entrance at Fremantle Cemetery to the Crematorium Chapel.
It was a fitting tribute to a wonderful and selfless person who had contributed so significantly to pipe bands in this state in particular and in the nation generally.
